My Lost Weekend by Kristen Weber

I went on a binge this past weekend, but it didn’t involve drinking, rock stars, or ice cream (which is actually the only realistic option if you know me personally). Instead, I devoured several young adult and new adult novels. I couldn’t get enough of them, and I ignored my phone, my husband, and our pug while reading. I’m happy to share the titles, in case you’re also looking to overdose on a few good books.

Attacked as she’s leaving a frat party, Jacqueline’s unlikely savior turns out to be a boy she’s never seen before. Jacqueline just wants to forget what happened and to finally cut ties with her ex-boyfriend who broke her heart and now wants her back. But she can’t stop thinking about her savior who now seems to be everywhere.. Lucas is the barista at her coffee shop and can’t stop staring at her in the class they share together. But he’s hiding secrets of his own, which threaten to destroy any chance of them having a happily ever after.

The author handled difficult subjects gracefully, and you’re literally at the edge of your seat between the romance and mysteries in this one. Plus, Jacqueline and Lucas are the types of characters I would want to be friends with. I wanted to continue to peer into their lives long after the last page.

Samantha Reed lives what looks like a perfect life in a big perfect house with her sister and their politician mom, but all she wants is to be a part of the large rambunctious family next door who barely all fit into their shabby house. Everything changes when one of the sons introduces himself to Samantha. Now she’s part of their family and falling in love for the first time with Jase Garrett. But when things come falling apart around her, Samantha has to decide if she can depend on either family.

Samantha is a heroine I could really root for and I loved watching her come into her own and finally decide what’s important to her.

This debut is told from the alternating perspectives of Echo, who wants her life to go back to normal even though she can’t remember the attack that left her scarred and turned her social life completely upside down, and Noah, a tough foster kid who wants to obtain custody of his younger brothers so he can have some semblance of having his family together. These two shouldn’t have anything in common, but they can’t resist the feelings they have for each other.

It’s a rare treat to have a dual perspective like this, and the author pulls it off. I can see where both Echo and Noah are coming from, no matter how far apart they seem. Plus, the secrets that they’re both keeping are enthralling. I don’t even think I looked up from this one until I reached the end.

Have you ever read a book that caused you to lose hours, or days? Let us know in the comments!

Besides co-creating Shelf Pleasure, Kristen Weber works as a freelance book editor. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and pug.

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Sounds like an awesome weekend to me! Thanks for sharing these titles and what you loved about them!!

Allison Zusmer

Thanks for the great recommendations! Just curious…what is the difference between young adult and new adult? Thought I would ask the expert 😉

Kristen Weber

New adult and young adult is actually a widely debated topic in the book world right now, and some people say it doesn’t even exist. I tend to just go by how individual publishers label individual books, but here’s some excellent intel on the subject if you want to dive in! http://blogs.slj.com/teacozy/2012/12/28/what-is-new-adult/